Page 122 of On the Wild Side

“Just in time,” I tell him. “That’s Janet. She was trying to take Daisy.”

“I just want my baby,” she cries. “I want my Natalie. Where’s my baby?”

“Jesus.” Chase pulls his hand down his face. “I’ll call for the ambulance. She’ll be going to a psych ward.”

“You’ve got this?” I ask him.

“Yeah,” he says with a nod. “Get them out of here.”

With Abbi’s hand still in mine, and Daisy in my arms, I march us outside to my 4Runner.

“I’m taking you to my cabin.”

Abbi crawls into the back seat with Daisy, cuddling her as close and as hard as she can while I drive us back out to the ranch. I keep checking them in the rearview mirror, and as Abbi has a small panic attack, Daisy holds her tiny fingers up so Abbi can blow them out like candles.

It’s the sweetest and most heart-wrenching thing I’ve ever seen in my fucking life.

“Do you want the cabin, or do you want Erin?” I ask her after she takes a long, deep breath.

“Cabin,” she whispers. “Please.”

With a nod, I turn toward my little place and get them both inside and onto the couch, where they stay huddled up together.

“Baby.” I press my hand against Abbi’s cheek. “It’s done. She can’t hurt either of you ever again. I’ll make sure of it. It’s all done.”

Abbi watches me with wide blue eyes brimming with huge, unshed tears.

“How can that be? It happened so fast. I’ve been protecting Daisy from her foryears.”

“I know.”

Daisy’s face is pressed to Abbi’s chest, and it looks like she’s fallen asleep, likely from the exhaustion of everything that’s happened over the last hour.

“I’m so s-s-sorry.” Abbi dabs at the tears on her cheeks. “I wanted to tell you so many times, but I couldn’t risk her. I just couldn’t, Brady.”

“Hey.” I lean in and press my lips to her forehead, breathing her in. “I asked you before if your secrets would hurt my family.”

“I don’t have any more secrets,” she assures me.

“But you lied.”

That has her stopping and staring at me. “I didn’t lie about that.”

“Yes, you did, because this secretdidhurt my family. You and Daisyaremy family. You’re part ofmywholefamily, too, and this hurt all of us.”

“Brady.” Her voice is a whisper as she grips my shirt. “I guess you’re right because you’remyfamily, too. You’re ours. But when I promised you that, we weren’t what we are now.”

“Maybe not foryou.” I grin when she gulps. “I know you well enough to understand why you couldn’t tell us, but, baby, that was one hell of a bomb to drop.”

“Yeah. Pretty dramatic, huh?”

“Pretty fucking dramatic.”

“Swear jar,” Daisy whispers, making me chuckle. She doesn’t even open her eyes or move away from her mom, but she’s obviously been listening.

“Would you have really left me?” I ask her as I drag my knuckles down her cheek, then brush her soft blonde hair behind her ear.

“Yes.” Her lip wobbles. “If it meant keeping Daisy safe, I would have. Although, Daisy and I were fighting about it when Ja—sherang the doorbell because Daisy was having none of it.”

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